Fired Kiffin lost 'battle' to keep USC job

Sept. 29, 2013

Updated Feb. 4, 2014 5:53 p.m.

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Hours after Saturday night's 62-41, to Arizona State, Trojans coach Lane Kiffin (center) lost his job. He ends his USC career with a 28-15 record. Assistant head coach Ed Orgeron will guide the Trojans on an interim basis. MICHAEL GOULDING, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

USC offensive lineman Marcus Martin, left and linebacker Devon Kennard answer questions during Sunday's press conference following the firing of former coach Lane Kiffin. MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, FOR THE REGISTER

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USC Athletic Director Pat Haden speaks during a press conference Sunday at USC about the firing of former head football coach and naming interim coach Ed Orgeron. MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, FOR THE REGISTER

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USC Athletic Director Pat Haden answers questions during a press conference Sunday at USC about the firing of former head football coach and naming interim coach Ed Orgeron. MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, FOR THE REGISTER

Hours after Saturday night's 62-41, to Arizona State, Trojans coach Lane Kiffin (center) lost his job. He ends his USC career with a 28-15 record. Assistant head coach Ed Orgeron will guide the Trojans on an interim basis. MICHAEL GOULDING, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Kiffin was told, by USC athletic director Pat Haden, that he was being fired, less than halfway through his fourth season as football coach. In a 45-minute meeting, Kiffin argued that Haden should change his mind.

"Lane was clearly disappointed," Haden said. "He’s a great recruiter. He battled me. He really tried to keep his job, and I respect him for that."

Ultimately, Kiffin lost that battle, and his job. A litany of on-field woes and off-field distractions caught up with the maligned 38-year-old coach, whose complicated reign ended shortly after USC returned home from a 62-41 loss to Arizona State on Saturday night in Tempe, Ariz.

Assistant head coach Ed Orgeron will replace Kiffin, on an interim basis, for the rest of this season. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will replace Kiffin as the play-caller.

Haden, in a Sunday news conference, declined to go into specifics about Kiffin’s long-term replacement.

Haden, who accompanied the team on the trip to Arizona State -- along with President Max Nikias and other school officials -- praised Kiffin’s work in several areas but said "a variety of things" led him to dismiss Kiffin, who had a 28-15 overall record and had to guide the Trojans through crippling NCAA sanctions.

The Trojans (3-2) have lost seven of their last 11 games.

"This has been brewing for awhile," Haden said, "and I haven’t felt particularly good, even from the Hawaii game (on Aug. 29). We haven’t been the consistent team we need to be at USC."

First hired by Pete Carroll as a 26-year-old tight ends coach in 2001, Kiffin rose to offensive coordinator then left to coach the NFL’s Oakland Raiders in 2007. Fired four games into his second season, Kiffin surfaced in the college ranks at Tennessee in 2009, then replaced Carroll at USC in 2010.

faced increased criticism for his offenses and for tangential issues such as changing players’ uniforms during games and the deflating of footballs.

Haden faced significant fan heat to fire Kiffin after last year’s 7-6 record, but stoutly defended his coach. In late July, in a video released by the school, Haden declared himself to be "100 percent" behind Kiffin. This month, Haden indicated that firing Kiffin would be premature.

"At the end of the day, it became a gut feeling that we weren’t making the progress I felt we needed to make, that I thought we should be making," Haden said.

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